father


A father should be a good man
A father should be wise
A father should be tall and strong
With laughter in his eyes

In many ways, Sylphiel and I are awfully alike as we both share incredible love for our parents: she with her father and I with my mother. Aside from the love between Amelia and Prince Phil, the love between Sylphiel and Eruk is one of the most beautiful and heartwarming father/daughter bonds in Slayers -- even if it is just an anime.

A father should be behind you
A father should be there
A father should be someone
Who always treats you fair...

From what we can tell in the anime, Eruk was single, possibly a widower; we are not sure whatever happened to Sylphiel's mother. Many believe she died in childbirth and others believe she died from a disease and that is why Sylphiel became a healer. Though she was without a mother, Eruk did the best he could and became one of the best parents a child could ever have and from her memories, we see that Sylphiel led a happy childhood. She is very attached to her father and loves him dearly and respects him very much shown by the way she uses the honorific "Otou-sama." Although, it could be suggested from the way Sylphiel is naive about the world that Eruk had sheltered her and doted on her her entire life since she was the only family he had left.

I know the kind of man
A father ought to be
A shining knight, who fights the good fight
And wins it just for me...

Sadly, Kopii Rezo destroyed much of Sairaag in a terrible blast that left everything decimated. Sylphiel had witnessed the destruction herself and screamed in terror as she realized her father had died. With her only family taken away from her, Sylphiel's heart broke in a way that would never fully mend. She mourned for him but eventually moved on with her life till later on in the series. It is even harder to watch her situation in NEXT when she returned to Sairaag, now an orphan. The city had been regenerated along with all the people who died -- including her father. Sylphiel was overjoyed to see him alive, believing he somehow escaped but sadly it was not true, as she soon found out when she could not feel his heartbeat. Thus their touching reunion turned sorrowful.

A father should be a hero
A father should come through
A father should be someone
Just like you...

We are not positive if Sylphiel blames herself for his death but she may think to herself she could have prevented it if she had not wished to tell him goodbye and brought Lina and the others with her, thus bringing Kopii Rezo in the vicinity of her home. She is terribly upset at Phibrizzo's lack of respect for the dead and for using her family for his own means. In a moving speech, she tells Lina that she cannot forgive this and will see to it that her father is put back to rest. She still loves her father even if his only a puppet and has a deep connection to him; she unknowingly felt it when her father was laid to rest once again. Sylphiel has come to terms with her father's passing for a second time due to the help of the strength she has drawn from her past and the outlook for her future. With the scepter he had given to her along with her cherished memories, he shall always be in her heart.



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